Unless you've been stranded on a remote island for the past couple of years, you're probably well aware of the phenomenon known as Harry Potter. As of early May, the four books in J. K. Rowling's beloved series about a boy wizard had sold in excess of 100 million copies worldwide, with over 65 million of that coming after the release of the fourth book in July 2000.
There can be little doubt that children will be clamoring to see the movie version of the first novel. The X-factor in predicting the film's chances for a monster opening is its appeal to adults. The books clearly have fans of all ages (my 56-year-old mother has even read them), but the fear amongst many was that director Chris Columbus' trademark schmaltz might affect the quality of the film to a degree that would turn adults away.
These fears were essentially laid to rest with the release of the first teaser. With a dark atmosphere true to the spirit of the book, it flashed through several scenes that would be completely familiar to the fans, yet intriguing to the uninitiated. The second trailer provides more of the same, and is generally met with what I can only call reverence from the children who have been in theaters when I have seen it.
In the past two years, we've seen two films with tremendous cross-generational appeal and "brand awareness" have huge opening weekends in the month of November. As you can see on the chart below, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas pulled in $55.08 million in November of 2000, while Toy Story 2 did $57.39 in the three days after Thanksgiving 1999. Harry Potter and his cohorts certainly appear positioned to match or exceed those numbers. Given the mania surrounding the release of the fourth book, the only limitation would appear to be available seats in theaters. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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